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Friday, April 30, 2010

Now is a great time to take a kid fishing. The bite is hot, the ride is short, and the blues are fun. Took Harry and Harry fishing this afternoon. The action was fast and furious. We landed 16 bluefish in short order and little Harry reeled in most of them himself. Oh, and thanks to Harry Jr. I now have a theme song.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Took my Dad out for a quick trip this afternoon. We crushed the bluefish. We caught as many as we wanted. As per normal the weatherman was wrong and the day was very fishable but misty. As usual, Dad caught the first fish, the biggest, and the most. Good thing he's humble. I wouldn't have it any other way. In an effort to keep his ego in check I took no pictures.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Sometimes the wind brings old friends back around. Longtime fishing buddy Roofer Ray showed up at the tackle shop today fresh in from points south for a visit with his new bride. We shot out to the bay for some laughs and some nice blues.

Fished with Fred, Bob, and Bobby today in the back bay. We slayed them. Lost count of the bluefish but it was approaching 50 or more. Lots of triple headers as the fish moved through in waves. I wanted to have more action shots but all I did today was unhook fish and rerig. A great day.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Fished today with Fred B and Bob S. We had a great afternoon flyrodding blues during the outgoing tide. Once the tide switched we had steady action. We lost count of the fish. Fish were caught equally on the fly and on jigs. Great day.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Sinking lines and clouser minnows produced about 20 bluefish from 2-4 pounds. The action was fast with strikes coming every few casts. This is how good the spring fishing can be. The bluefish just appeared and now the action is fantastic. It will continue for the next severalweeks. This is a great time of year for flyrodders as many fish can beracked up in a single trip. I have a few open dates on the weekendsbut do not forget that afternoons during the week are another greatoption.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

They're here! Caught several tailor blues in short order on flies and jigs. It didn't take long toget bit. If you want to get in in some great springtime action don'tdrag your feet. The Blues are here and the people aren't. It is goingto get good quick. The afternoon tides are great this week and I haveopenings.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Caught the first bluefish of the year today. Water temp 56.1. Gulp shrimp on a jighead. With a couple of nice days the floodgates should open soon and the action will be fast and furious. The stripers are still biting. Big fish on bait and schoolies on jigs and flies. There is a ton of bait around as well.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Fished with John Martin today and caught the first fluke of the season. The fish were released as the flounder season does not open until Memorial Day weekend. The fish were caught on 3/8 oz jigheads and soft plastics.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Sailed on the Regulator today with Kevin Bunn and friends. Great group of guys. The wind was supposed to come up by mid morning and it certainly did. Went to Delaware bay where we caught a nice 14 pound striper and several large dogfish on clams. The wind really started to howl so we decided to make a move in the lee of Cape May but no bites. Ran back to Sea Isle and tried one last spot in the back bay. After a short while we hooked a pig of a bass that was easily over 20 pounds only to pull the hook several feet from the net as the fish thrashed on the surface. Minutes later the same rod goes off. The fight was different though. Went the fish came up it was a drumfish that was close to 30 pounds! Very unusual for the back bay. Finally, the same rod goes off a third time and we landed a nice 29 inch bass.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Stripers are finally beginning to bite well in the backbays. Outgoing tides seem to be best for the moment. Delware bay has been producing sporadic good catches of stripers on clams with success varying with the day. The bite, when it does happen, seems to occur all at once. Bluefish will be arriving in force by the end of the month.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

On my last day in Florida we decided to fish in Flamingo. We caught dozens of ladyfish, jacks, and bluerunners on the fly and on jigs. They weren't tarpon but it was a blast to bend the rod before returning to New Jersey. The boat is now back home and ready to get after the stripers and blues.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Tarpon. That was our focus this week in Islamorada. The winter was aweful. The wind blew. We could have caught loads of other fish that would have been more cooperative. But we stayed focused on tarpon because that's what we wanted to do. We covered miles of water and fished flat after flat. We didn't see many and only had one real shot at a single cruising tarpon, but a great cast by Dave Stewart put the fly where it needed to be. The fish ate. The fish jumped. The fish threw the hook. That's tarpon fishing and we had fun in spite of the lack of fish in a beautiful place where you can almost get intoxicated on the fresh air. We will do it again for sure.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

After catching several baby tarpon at the dock, we left to go tarpon fishing "for real." We were primarily scouting spots today to see if any tarpon were around. The third spot was the charm and we saw a few tarpon as we stopped to pole. Dave Stewart was up first and made an excellent cast at the first tarpon we saw. The fish promply ate, jumped four feet out of the water, and spit the fly and fly line back at the boat. Very cool bite. Back at it tomorrow.

Striper

About Me

Captain Joe Hughes -USCG Licensed 100 Ton Master-IGFA Certified
Joe Hughes has been working in the fishing business since he was eleven years old. Starting at Gibson's Tackle at that age, Joe's passion for the sport of fishing has steadily increased. Joe is a versatile angler who is comfortable poling a flats skiff as well as at the helm of a
sportfisherman competing in big game tournaments. During his years as a professional fisherman Joe has been featured in books and
magazines. His main passion is for salt-water fly-fishing. A teacher by trade, he enjoys sharing his knowledge about fly-fishing, fly-tying, and
fly-casting with his clients.